Taste of spring invades US to close out February with wild temperature swings for millions

Millions across US to enjoy springlike temperatures this week

The start of meteorological spring, is approaching, and with it comes a major pattern change that will usher in much warmer weather for most of the country this week. FOX Weather Meteorologist Jane Minar breaks down the latest forecast.

We’re quickly approaching the start of meteorological spring, and right on cue, forecasters are tracking a major pattern change that will usher in warmer temperatures for most of the U.S. during the week ahead.

And let’s face it – we deserve a break from the bitter cold.

The nation has been blasted by rounds of frigid arctic air, which has plummeted temperatures to near-freezing as far south as Florida and the Gulf Coast. Winter storms have also brought snow to places that don’t usually see the flakes fly.

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Snow blankets Virginia Beach shores

Drone video shows the snowy scene in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Feb. 19, 2025 during a major winter storm. 

Last week, for example, snow coated the sand and palm trees in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In January, a Blizzard Warning was issued for the first time ever along the Gulf Coast.

The welcome temperature change began in the West, where arctic air has been replaced by milder air streaming in from the North Pacific Ocean. Above-average temperatures have also developed across the central U.S., with many locations west of the Mississippi River warming to 10-20 degrees higher than average.

That's quite the difference from last week when high temperatures were running 30-50 degrees below average.

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Bismarck, North Dakota, is just one of many parts of the nation that will notice the difference as temperatures warm up this week.

The low temperature was 39 degrees below zero on Feb. 18. On Monday, Bismarck is expected to get to around 47 degrees during the day – a nearly 90-degree temperature swing in less than a week.

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Minneapolis, too, will notice the difference.

Last Tuesday, Minneapolis recorded a morning low temperature of 15 degrees below zero and is expected to see a forecast high temperature of a "balmy" 48 degrees on Monday.

That’s a 63-degree change in temperature in a week.

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This week, the FOX Forecast Center said temperatures will climb back into the 70s in the southern Plains and Southeast, while the central Plains and mid-South will reach the 60s.

The northern Plains, Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, interior Northeast and New England will rise into the 40s to near 50 degrees this week.

And for the millions of people along the Interstate 95 corridor in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, the FOX Forecast Center expects comfortable temperatures in the 50s and lower 60s for most of the week.